My thoughts on how to run a green health service. Ensuring that we put the planet and people above the desires of big business and understanding the place for health care with the cycle of life. These are my thoughts and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any organisations that I belong to! Make sure that you set your RSS reader to: http://greenhealthservice.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Saturday, January 6, 2007

Early Day Motion

The Early Day Motion below has been submitted by Timothy Farron (a Lib Dem). It would seem that trying to get our MPs to sign up to this would be a good idea. Use www.writetothem.com as one of the best methods of lobbying them.

Subject: Early Day Motion (ICATS)House of Commons - Early Day MotionsDate tabled: 14 December 2006510 - INDEPENDENT SECTOR INVOLVEMENT IN THE NHS

Tim Farron

That this House notes Department of Health plans to hand clinical assessment treatment and support (CATS) services in Cumbria and Lancashire for general surgery, ear nose and throat, gynaecology, urology, orthapaedics and rheumatology to an independent sector provider; further notes that some elective surgery is also to be handed to independent sector providers in Cumbria and Lancashire; expresses grave concern that the private companies Netcare and Capio have been identified as preferred bidders for these services without any consultation with NHS staff or the public; is concerned that the proposed handing over of 70 per cent. of referrals to independent-sector run CATS service centres will lead to huge reductions in income for NHS trusts, leading to job losses, financial destabilisation and possible hospital closures; opposes the handing over of further NHS funds to profit-making independent companies; fears that the increased transfer of services to the independent sector will lead to the cherry-picking of the most lucrative NHS services, leaving the NHS only with those services that are not profitable; is not aware of evidence to suggest that the transfer of NHS services to the independent sector constitutes equivalent value for money or medical safety to providing services inside the NHS; and calls upon the Government to suspend plans to introduce additional independent sector involvement in the NHS until a full appraisal of the costs and benefits of this strategy to date has been undertaken.

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About Me

I have a beautiful wife Dawn and equally beautiful daughter, Poppy. I am a qualified nurse and a keen interest in the politics of health care. I am deeply committed to Green politics and have a keen interested in the spiritual side of philospohy.